The fire broke out shortly after 8 p.m. People walking down Broadway saw smoke coming out of manhole covers and flames coming up from the drain grates, according to the San Diego Fire Department.
The fire burned so intensely at Broadway and First Avenue that flames were still visible from the street even an hour after firefighters arrived, said a department spokesman.

Traffic lights stopped working because of the fire, which may have been caused by an electrical short in an underground cable. A San Diego Gas & Electric Co. spokesman said the repairs would not be complete until morning, so the traffic lights may be out until then.

Answers

This isn't as bad as the guy who got fried (literally!) last summer.
He was waiting for a bus, sitting in one of those metal kiosks when he
touched the outer shell and had a gazillion volts surge through his
body. Witnesses report that smoke was actually coming from him. Turns
out that the lighting to the thing wasn't grounded properly. What a
horrid way to go! (Quick, but ::shiver:: gruesome nevertheless!)